Cfye (Dfyio Naturalist 
THE BIOLOGICAL CLUB OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 
VARIATION IN SYNDESMON THALICTROIDES. 
W. A. Kellerman. 
This charming spring flower called in popular language Rue- 
Anemone, indigenous to eastern North America, has been known 
from early times, and as in many other equally unfortunate cases 
has had imposed upon it by botanists a superfluity of scientific 
names. Linnaeus in his Species Plantarum, 1753, listed it as Ane- 
mone thalictroides ; in 1803 Michaux called it Tlialictrum anemo- 
noides; it was rechristened as Syndesmon thalictroides in 1832 by 
Hoffmansegg; finally Spach in 1839 proposed the name Anemonella 
thalictroides. Botanists to-day consider our plant as more properly 
placed in Hoffmansegg’s genus Syndesmon, and for it the earliest 
specific name, applied by Linnaeus, is very properly retained; hence 
the correct designation in botanical language is Syndesmon thalic- 
troides (L.) Hoffmg. 
The extent of variation in this plant has been but partially noted 
heretofore. The tabulation given below indicates the results of 
observations made the latter part of April and the first of May this 
year in regard to the number of flowers and the variation in the 
involucral leaves. As to whether these are sessile as given in our 
Manuals, notes have appeared on previous pages of this Journal by 
Messrs. Burglehaus, Wetzstein and Schaffner, cf. pp. 72, 104 and 106. 
The number of flowers is normally three and the involucral 
leaves two. A diagram showing their arrangement is given at A, 
Fig. 1. The two leaves are not always ternate; they may both be 
simple, diagrammatically shown at B. A further variation, shown 
PUBLISHED BY 
Vol. 1 
MAY, 1901 
No. 7 
Fig. 1. Diagrams showing arrangement of leaves and flowers. 
